TY - JOUR
T1 - Parental Stress in Families of Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities
AU - Valicenti-McDermott, Maria D.R.
AU - Lawson, Katharine R.
AU - Hottinger, Kathryn
AU - Seijo, Rosa
AU - Schechtman, Merryl A.
AU - Shulman, Lisa H.
AU - Shinnar, Shlomo
PY - 2015/11/1
Y1 - 2015/11/1
N2 - The level of parental stress in families of children with autism and other developmental disabilities and its association with child comorbid symptoms was studied in an ethnically diverse population, in a cross-sectional study with structured interview. The sample included 50 families of children with autism and 50 families of children with other developmental disabilities, matched by age/gender. Interview included Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Gastrointestinal Questionnaire, Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire, and Aberrant Behavior Checklist. In this ethnically diverse sample, parental stress was significantly higher for the autism group and for non-Hispanic and US-born mothers. In both study groups, parental stress was related to child irritability. Parental stress was also related to gastrointestinal problems in the autism group and to sleep difficulties in the developmental disabilities group. Targeting child irritability may be particularly important in reducing parental stress for families of children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
AB - The level of parental stress in families of children with autism and other developmental disabilities and its association with child comorbid symptoms was studied in an ethnically diverse population, in a cross-sectional study with structured interview. The sample included 50 families of children with autism and 50 families of children with other developmental disabilities, matched by age/gender. Interview included Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Gastrointestinal Questionnaire, Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire, and Aberrant Behavior Checklist. In this ethnically diverse sample, parental stress was significantly higher for the autism group and for non-Hispanic and US-born mothers. In both study groups, parental stress was related to child irritability. Parental stress was also related to gastrointestinal problems in the autism group and to sleep difficulties in the developmental disabilities group. Targeting child irritability may be particularly important in reducing parental stress for families of children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
KW - autism spectrum disorder
KW - children
KW - developmental disabilities
KW - irritability
KW - parental stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84944405635&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1177/0883073815579705
DO - 10.1177/0883073815579705
M3 - Article
C2 - 25862740
AN - SCOPUS:84944405635
SN - 0883-0738
VL - 30
SP - 1728
EP - 1735
JO - Journal of Child Neurology
JF - Journal of Child Neurology
IS - 13
ER -